Before She Wakes Up
by Mariavc
Summary: Skye survived, but she's still unconscious and Ward just wants to hear her voice again. Before she wakes up he will realize that there's a reason why he misses her that much, and many other reasons why that's a bad idea. At the end of the day, he'll always choose to protect her. SkyeWard
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Hello people! The show was back, briefly, and I'm back. I'm posting a sequel to 4 hours, this is part of my little Agents of Shield Universe so... If you haven't read my other stories, I highly recommend you to do it, starting with "Protective"** you can find all of them in my profile,** they are really short, you know you want to read them... Go! Hahaha. I'm posting this stories separately but remember that they all belong to the same continuity. If you follow me you'll get updates when I post new stories... just if you're interested. No pressure :).

T**his one, as I said before is a sequel to 4 hours and is set before the last episode, so I think it's spoilers free if you have not seen "Yes, man". Please enjoy!**

ps: Are you as excited as I am because of what Lorelai said? I'm writing a sequel to this story already! Hahaaha

I don't own any of this characters, sadly.

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BEFORE SHE WAKES UP

There was something off with Agent Coulson, again… There he was, staring at Skye and looking lost in his own thoughts, like if they had done something wrong by saving her life. Ward looked back at her. She almost died; she suffered, she was in pain, right before his helpless, unuseful self. Simmons injected the serum while his rookie was fighting not to die. Agent Tripplet was right, she was a fighter, and there was no way to explain how did she even survive long enough for them to get the GH235. He glared back at his superior, what was in the serum? What did he know?

"You're not still blaming Agent Coulson, are you?" May's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"I… He saved her life. No matter what, even going against protocol"

"You all did it. Going down there"

"The only thing that matters is that Skye is alive, and recovering"

"You wonder why Agent Coulson looks upset" May concluded

"You know? I mean, you seem to know him so well"

Melinda frowned "You don't have to take this attitude against him" She changed the subject

"Do you think she'll be awake soon?" He changed the subject too.

"I hope so. Once you get used to that girl, she's kind of contagious" she half smiled.

"She is, right?" Ward smiled too, but his eyes were fixed on Skye, and his expression a little different from May's. There was more to it than just being happy for getting his rookie back. She was recovering her colors, no longer pale and covered in blood, and he was just so eager to hear her voice, get back to training, spend more time together… He frowned.

"What?" May asked, making Grant look at her. He forgot for a moment that she was standing next to him and… their situation. Right now he was fighting to ignore what his heart was screaming out loud, that would be just calling for trouble, more trouble. He stood in silence for a few seconds, trying to say something, but he was saved by Coulson when he opened the door.

"She looks better" May spoke again, focusing her attention on Phil

"She does" The agent said, still with a concerned expression on his face "I want Fitzsimons to monitor her every minute. Let me know if she wakes up or… if something unusual happens. It want blood tests, but we'll keep this quiet" He started walking but Ward stopped him by taking his arm.

"Why did you say that?" Grant asked sounding a little more aggressive than he wanted to.

"Agent Ward" Phil said and looked at the hand grasping his arm. Grant pulled it back and then he continued, "We gave her an unknown substance. We should keep monitoring her in case there's a reaction. We don't know the side effects for some drug we found" He tried to keep a steady voice, but the other agents couldn't help but notice that he sounded worried, even sad. "I'm going now… if that's fine with you" He walked away.

Melinda and Grant looked at each other.

"No…Grant!" She said when he followed their superior, but didn't stop him. He was obviously still angry at Coulson, and about the whole situation. Since Skye got shot she just confirmed how much she affected him. She knew it, but he wouldn't accept it, less do something about it.

"Sir!" Grant said with authority. Making the man stop and turn to face him.

"Is there a problem, Agent Ward?"

"I don't know, you tell me"

"I think I'll have to remind you that I'm your superior, agent Ward. I don't like your tone. I know that you think that, somehow, I'm responsible for what happened to Skye"

"Yeah, I should have known that May was going to tell you that too"

"So, is this about May then?"

"No"

There was an awkward silence between them. If not for his respect for authority, Grant would have punched his superior by now.

"Come to my office. Now" Coulson raised is tone. Now he was pissed too. "Ward"

"Yes, sir" He followed him.

When they were in Coulson's office, the superior agent shut de door closed. "What is your problem?"

"With all do respect, sir. I'll ask you again. You. Tell. Me. There's something wrong with the serum, isn't it?" He saw how Coulson's expression faded. The guy was genuinely worried about something.

"I… I don't know. We…" He made a pause and avoided Ward's eyes "We don't know where it comes from" He looked back at the specialist "We just know that it worked. But she would have died" His voice sounded almost broken. "I don't even know if that was the right thing to do. You know about what happened to me, what they did to me"

Grant swallowed. "I think that Skye will decide about that when she wakes up"

"Yeah. Just like it was her decision to join us, to become an agent, and to go after Quinn with Fitz" Phil sat on the corner of his desk.

"What are you implying, sir?"

"Well… She's not very good at making decisions. But they were her decisions, and we have to respect that. I still don't understand how her mind works, but I'm proud of her. She has such a strong will, and she's brave. One day… she'll make a great agent"

"But…" He couldn't find the right words to argue with his boss. Coulson was right. May was right. Skye decided to go after Quinn, and that was not a very good decision, but it was the right one. She would do it again. But there was the other thing… whatever happened between her and Phil when they were at the Academy. Something had changed since that day. "What did you tell her?… about her past" He finally asked.

"Do you want to know that?"

"She was going to tell me before the mission in Italy"

"Then let her tell you. I'm sure she will"

Ward's jaw clenched. He was desperate. Now he was sure that the effect of the berserker staff was still present. Every time he was mad, the rage burned in his chest in a very horrible, painful way. For some reason, every episode was Skye-related, which was another good reason not to-

"Agent Ward!" Coulson said in a louder tone "You there?"

"Yeah. I think you're right. She'll tell me. I have to go" He spoke in a darker voice, trying to calm himself.

"Grant"

The agent was ready to leave but stood in his place when he heard his name.

"This was never about May. _This is_ about Skye. All. Am I right?"

"What?" Ward frowned, genuinely confused.

"You know. And you know the real reason why you're with May. She's not a little girl; she knows what she's doing. But you need to-"

"We already talked about it. May and me… It has nothing… to do with… Skye. Sir, sorry, but this is personal"

"I'm sorry. You can go now. Are we good?"

"Yes sir" He nodded and finally got out of the room even more confused. What did Coulson mean? Why did Skye have anything to do with his… thing with May, Why was Coulson asking? He knew what he was doing too. Without even realizing it, he found himself in front of Skye's pod. She looked so much better and that made him feel better. No rage, no questions. He walked in and sat next to her. It was like she was just sleeping and about to stark wrecking havoc in his life again.

"You better wake up soon, rookie. You owe me like 500 push-ups… and a conversation" He smiled and squeezed her hand in his. It was warm again. He stared at her for minutes, her steady breathing, so peaceful. In an impulse, he kissed the back of her hand. That was the exact moment when he realized what Coulson meant. He opened his eyes; there it was… he wanted to kiss her.

"This is a bad idea" He muttered with a sad smile "Man, I would be happy just by hearing your voice. Is that too stupid? I would… tell you. I should…" He swallowed. It was a really bad idea. All he could bring to Skye's life was more danger; even he could hurt her. May was safe. What they had was great, no feelings, and no complications. He leaned forward a little. She was so young and beautiful, she deserved a lot better. He sighed, but decided to surrender to a last moment of weakness.

His lips barely touched hers. I was a slight contact, but still so powerful. He closed his eyes and didn't move for a few seconds. "Just wake up, ok?" He whispered. Then he left. He had to prepare to act like everything was normal, to smile for her and move on.

Skye, on the other hand… didn't open her eyes, which was not easy. Trying not to move was even harder. But when he was gone her smile said everything. She moved her hand to touch her own lips, but a loud voice pulled her back from her joyful state.

"You were awake the whole time!... you little-"

"Simmons!... please, have a little consideration" Skye opened her eyes, the bright light was uncomfortable and she finally felt the pain in her whole body.

"Are you ok?"

"Yeah… I want to…"

"You want to nothing!... stop kissing people and pretending to be unconscious. I have to take blood samples, make tests… I was so worried about you, and you wouldn't even tell me you were awake!"

Skye giggled, she was starting to feel so tired. She didn't hear half of the things that her friend was saying. "Do you have a mirror?"

"A what? A mirror?... Skye!" She rolled her eyes, but there was a hint of a smile in her face. Skye fell asleep quickly, but her expression was so adorable, still smiling. She would let her rest a little more and tell the good news to the rest of the team, and then try to find a mirror.

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**Please leave your feedback, I would love to read what you have to say in this awful, rainy day... Also, remember that English is not my native language, please forgive me if i made your eyes bleed. **


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Hello! I'm posting a little more here… somebody asked and I just want to make my readers very happy :). I'm posting a new short story too. You can find it in my profile as "Dinner". I have to remind you that all my Skyeward stories belong to the same continuity, that explains, for example, why both Simmons and Skye know abut May and Ward… and some other things. This is just if you haven't read my other stories… they're all very short and not that bad… no go an read, don't be lazy!… ok no pressure. GO!

Don't forget to leave your feedback… it's free! haha

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Skye sighed again. Simmons had her creepy smirk in full display.

"Just say it" Skye let out with an annoyed voice. She was still 'living' in the pod, but they were letting her walk around the bus. Right know, Simmons was checking on her wounds. They were almost totally healed.

"It's been days!" Jemma finally stopped examining Skye, pulling her t-shirt down. "You are really going to act like he didn't kiss you"

"We've kissed before" Skye tried to sound careless

"Under the alcohol influence. This was different. Agent Ward really wanted to kiss you and actively initiated it… even if you were unconscious. Let's just ignore the side of creepy that the whole situation had. It was sweet. Like a fairytale" Simmons grinned at her friend, who was trying to sit up.

"Eh… you know, every time this Ward topic pops up there's an image coming into my mind. You know what it is? It's a BOOT. In my FACE. Do you wanna know who's wearing that boot?" She said sarcastically

"Yeah… about that…"

"What?" The hacker frowned

"I don't think that May and Ward are in the best terms right now. They have not spoken to each other in days. He's just training all the time, alone. It's actually kind of sad"

"Well… maybe I could talk to him" She saw Jemma's big smile "Not about the kiss. He did it, and then he didn't even mention it. He disappeared!...Maybe he regrets it… whatever, I just don't care. I'll see if the guy's ok" Jemma nodded , showing that creepy smirk again "_nothing_ more!"

"Sure" Simmons pretended to be serious

"Agh… shut up"

Skye left her friend and started searching for Grant. She wouldn't admit it to Simmons, but she was kind of mad at him. He did kiss her, and then he disappeared. Yes, she did not want trouble with May, or the rest of the team, or an awkward situation; but she hoped, what did she hope? What did she want? The best thing to do was the same he did… act like if had never happened.

He was not in the lab… or the cargo area. He was not in the SUV or Lola.

Skye went upstairs. He was not in the kitchen; he was not in the briefing room. But she found someone in the hallway. May looked at her as cold as ever, maybe even more. Just when she thought that the senior agent was staring to show a softer side… why would May hate on her aga…. crap!

The hacker ran towards Ward's bunk, just to find her shirtless S.O. when she opened the door.

"Woooa… what happened to you?" She said

"What are you doing here?" He said putting on a shirt. His body was all bruised.

"Looking for you. Isn't that obvious?"

"You should be resting"

"I have rested my ass off for days. Let's train, or do something!"

"Training? In your condition? Not happening" He sat on his bed, and Skye did the same, closing the door behind her.

"So… what about the bruises? Was it Lorelei?"

"May" He looked at her

"Wow… Have you ever heard about domestic violence? Cause that's like totally not cool dude. Not like May can't handle herself… but you just don't go and beat the crap out of your girl" She tried to enlighten the mood by teasing him, but his expression only faded.

"She's not my girl" Grant sighed and moved his gaze away from her.

"Yeah. I know. No strings attached and stuff… but still you-"

"Skye" He interrupted her, grabbing her hand and looking at her again. She froze at his gesture for a split second but he started talking again "She is _not_ my girl… anymore, we called it off"

"Oh…wow" She felt bad, yes; but also kind of wanted to smile. She had to clear her throat "And… are you ok?. I mean, Break ups suck"

"Well… since there was never a _starting_ point, it's not like a real break up. I mean, I don't feel good" Skye frowned and he continued "It's just… she found out about something that…" he couldn't continue.

"Yeah. We all know about _that._ Pig" She tried to keep her cool, but he couldn't help but notice a little more than just a tease.

"Not that" His gaze fixed on her. May was right, he was more honest with Lorelei than with himself… or Skye, he just… could not tell her. Or better, he _should_ not tell her. "It's complicated" Now he looked at the floor, avoiding her eyes. The agent knew how good she was to read people.

The next thing he felt was a hand on his shoulder.

"You don't have to tell me. I… didn't mean to call you pig, I know how fucked up the whole situation was, and it was not your fault. Let's say I'm here to see if I can cheer you up" She stroked his back with her hand and smiled at him. Skye couldn't stand to see him sad, her own heart hurt just by seeing him like that.

"We have a conversation pending" He said. He wanted to change the subject.

"Oh…" of course, the 084 thing… she promised to tell him about her past before Italy… but she also promised Coulson to leave the team out of it, for their own safety.

"Skye?"

"Eh… yeah. You know… about that. I… I really want to tell you" she looked at him again "but maybe this is not the right time" Grant frowned and she continued, this time avoiding his eyes. Skye spoke in a lower tone, almost a murmur "I don't want you to get drag into this"

"Into what?" Now he was starting to worry "Is something wrong?" She didn't answer "Skye… I can protect you"

"Is not about that, Grant. This…" she sighed "Do you remember when you told me that you couldn't protect us from things you couldn't see, or understand. This is something that I need to figure out first. On my own"

He took her hand in his "Pieces solving a puzzle" Grant said, echoing her own words.

"Not when you care too much about the rest of the pieces" She looked at him again "I promise that I'll tell you. But not right now. Please, you have to understand"

"I'll try. But promise that you won't risk your life again. I don't care if you're not ready to tell me whatever it's happening, or if it's so weird that I can't protect you from it. I'll try anyway. I'm I'll do it. I'm here. Remember that"

His grip on her hand was stronger, and he was suddenly closer to her.

Skye nodded. She noticed that her heart was beating faster. She remembered the way he kissed her before, and now his eyes were showing so much emotion, more than ever.

"Grant… can I ask you something?"

"Yes"

Skye bit her lower lip. May's boot on her face was no longer a problem… apparently; but she remembered how scary she looked in the hallway.

"Why did you end things with May? I mean… the Lorelei incident was not your fault, and I don't think that it would bother her that much anyway… I mean, I… you were all no strings attached and stuff. Couldn't you just keep things like they were?… I mean, why…"

"What do you want to ask exactly?"

She exhaled soundly…"Ok here I go… when I was…" She stopped when the door was suddenly open to reveal Coulson standing in front of them.

"Briefing room in 5" He looked at Ward but Skye stood up "Oh no, no…. You stay here"

"What!"

"You can't go on a mission right now"

"Yeah... but unless the bad guys are _in_ the briefing room I think I'm allowed to go-"

"The less you know the better. Agent Ward, make sure she follow her orders"

"Yes sir" when Coulson was gone he pulled her arm, making her sit on the bed again "You stay here"

She sighed "Fine"

"I'll ask Simmons when can we start training again, ok?"

"Great" she smiled "thanks. I'll be waiting for you with a board game, sir"

He chuckled "That sounds great" He smiled and walked out of the little room to meet the rest of the team "hey" he said to Simmons "can you tell me if Skye is ready to start training again? She's bored, and that's not a good thing for me"

The specialist could swear that Jemma was making a creepy face, she answered with a smile "Yeah… eh… I actually checked on her this morning, she's healing fast. I think she's ready. But be careful, ok? You never know with that girl. A moment she seems ok and the next she's not. A moment she seems unconscious but guess what? She's not"

Now Grant was confused. He raised an eyebrow… "What are you…" he stopped. The scientist was not making sense, unless…. "Jemma!" he whispered.

"Shhh" she said and ignored him.

"Agent Ward" Coulson yelled… "Do you mind?"

"I'm sorry sir, please continue"

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**That's it!… Look for the next story in my profile… it's called "Dinner" and it's a sequel for this one, and prequel for the next episode :)**


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